


Storm on The Horizon

by Chibi_Twan



Category: Black Panther (2018), Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Avengers Family, BAMF Thor, Bruce Banner & Thor Friendship, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Canon Divergence - Thor (2011), Clint Barton & Thor Friendship, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Deaf Clint Barton, Depression, Desperate Thor, Don't expect romance, Found Family, Gen, Hurt Thor (Marvel), I'm horrible with Romance, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Natasha Romanov & Thor Friendship, Panic Attacks, Paranoia, Phil Coulson Has the Patience of a Saint, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Thor (Marvel), Steve Rogers & Thor Friendship, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, The Avengers Are Good Bros, The Avengers Need a Hug, They all need hugs, This is purely Found Family Fluff, Thor Feels (Marvel), Thor Needs a Hug (Marvel), Thor is Not Stupid (Marvel), Thor is a Good Bro (Marvel), Thor just wants everyone to be happy, Thor just wants to protect everyone, Time Travel, Tony Stark & Thor Friendship, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-22 04:41:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30033204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibi_Twan/pseuds/Chibi_Twan
Summary: They thought it was over, Thanos was defeated and while they did lose someone important to them, the battle was won...Yet, the stones chose six of them— gave them a second chance.Thor's not sure he can handle going through this all again.
Relationships: Fandral & Hogun & Loki & Sif & Thor & Volstagg (Marvel), Loki & Thor (Marvel), Thor & Avengers Team
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	1. Hiraeth

Stark brought them their victory and yet it did not feel as though they'd won.

After viewing over fourteen million futures, 14,6005 to be exact, in only one of which they won, Dr. Strange decides not to take that risk and instead, chooses to change the past to defeat Thanos and allow them to live. While sacrifices were to be made to ensure their victory… he could not bring himself to do it. To allow time to run its course and let things turn out this way. Surely, there must be another future other than that one in which they win. He could not see anymore, not now. He did not have the strength to do so, that did not mean there were no other futures out there. There were— the possibilities were endless. 

Who's to say their future is not theirs to write?

He had a general understanding of what to do, and how to do it… he just couldn't be sure if he had enough strength in him to go through with this. However, something- be it instinct or his anxiety rearing its head, he knew that if he did not do this now, he wouldn't be able to do it later. Dr. Strange knew that he had to act now if he wished to change the battle’s outcome. When he used the time stone to communicate with the other infinity stones, he expected them all to come with him, instead, he watched in what felt like slow motion as the Space stone left Thanos's gauntlet, startling the others as it went zipping through the air toward the Asgardian, Thor. Thor Odinson. He did not think that the Space stone would be capable of anything after Stark used the gauntlet. The stones were drained of their power. His magic should have brought them to him. Not the others.

He could sense, rather than see, how all of the infinity stones received tiny little cracks throughout them— the bright light they gave off dimming to nearly nothing. Their power was fading quickly. It won't be long before they turn to dust.

He didn’t expect the stones to choose who they wanted to travel with; he wasn’t prepared to take others with him to the past. However, it was far too late to stop it. Hopefully though, he hadn't made a mistake.

* * *

Thor wasn’t sure what had happened. One moment he was standing amongst his comrades, mourning Stark’s sacrifice, fighting the urge to cry as he was reminded of the loss of his people. Banner may have undone the damage the Mad Titan’s first snap caused, but that did not bring back those killed before then. It did not bring back the lives lost on the Statesman. It did not bring back Loki… Stark's sacrifice was just another death added to the list.

Thor was just as startled as everyone else when the Time stone began to glow, with the other Infinity stones starting to shine brighter as well. Others began to shout, some frantically scrambling away from Stark’s body while others, Thor recognized the Spider child, and Stark’s wife, Lady Pepper, surged toward him. Thor couldn’t make out what anyone was saying. The energy of the stones seemed to be pulsing, almost like a heartbeat.

The moment Thor realized he should prepare himself— for what he did not know, the Space stone detached itself from the gauntlet. Slowly hovering in the air before coming to a stop, a good three feet above Stark's body.

Thor wasn’t the only one who shrieked when it sped through the air, heading straight toward him.

He flung his hand out, the one not holding onto Stormbreaker. He wasn’t sure why he did not just move out of the way or even raise Stormbreaker instead… he reacted purely on instinct, attempting to catch the stone. The stone came into contact with his skin, and... Thor screamed. 

It was unintentional. However, the searing of his flesh, the way his nerves all felt as though they were being lit aflame… Thor couldn’t stop the noises pushing their way past his lips. He couldn't bring himself to look down at his arm, terrified of what he would see. A high-pitched keening noise, inhumane and devastating to listen to sounded throughout the area, he knew without a doubt in his mind that the sound came from him. Thor forced himself to raise his head, unsure when he had fallen to his knees with his head pressed into the dusty soil. Steve was kneeling in front of him. What remained of the Avengers were gathered nearby, those he did not know, they stayed back. 

The wizard, Dr. Strange- if Thor remembered correctly, was pushing Steve out of the way, falling to his knees before Thor and reaching out toward him. Lightning danced across his skin, arching off of him and creating a barrier without Thor’s say so. This… this had not happened before. He was not aware that his powers could do this.

Everyone looked so panicked… Thor couldn’t help but wonder why, even though the logical part of him said he knew the reason.

It couldn’t have been out of concern for him— these past few years, all the suffering they’ve all gone through. It was because of him. He knew that, and they knew it too.

He felt out of it, his mind barely keeping up with his surroundings. Regardless, Thor still noticed how the other stones left the gauntlet as well. The greenstone, the Time stone, sailed through the air, dodging others’ attempts at grabbing it and twisted around Dr. Strange’s figure- pressing itself against his chest. Dr. Strange flinched back, moving away from Thor, and reached toward the Time stone, nails scraping against clothing and skin as the stone burned through the Wizard’s clothing. Dr. Strange’s screams mingled with his own, but Thor noticed another’s voice, this one with a higher pitch beginning to yell as well. The terror coming from a voice so young had Thor forcing his body to move despite how much pain he was in. 

He looked up just in time to see the yellow stone vanish in thin air as the purple one shot through the air, flying past him. The orange stone moved quicker than any of the others and was already pressing itself on top of Danvers' hand. She stumbled as warriors from Wakanda surged toward her. 

Thor turned his attention back toward those in front of him, Steve had moved Dr. Strange, with the wizard now laying on his back, with two others’, Thor recognized Clint, and the Falcon- Sam, pinning the man down as Steve’s fingers scrambled at the wizard’s chest. Thor realized Steve was trying and failing to pry the stones out of Dr. Strange’s skin. 

Thor jerked back as a hand entered his line of sight.

Quickly turning his head, he noticed Brunnhilde kneeling by his side, Thor looked away. His eyes latched onto the hand, following its path up to meet Banner’s eyes and Thor froze. Banner… he had never seen that look on the man’s face before. His eyes followed the hand Banner slowly moved toward him, unsure what was going on. Thor winced apologetically as the lightning surrounding him zapped at him. The pain... still excruciating, slowly became bearable. Banner quickly moved back as sparks danced off of Thor’s shoulder, and Thor could see his lips moving, but he still couldn’t hear them. It confused him. Why couldn’t he hear any of the others when they tried speaking with him, and yet he could listen to the Wizard scream, to Danvers' yells, as well as that other voice?

The other voice... Thor’s eyes widened, shakingly pushing his body far past its limits as he forced himself to get to his feet. 

Banner got to his feet as well, and seemed to be saying something important, his body language growing more and more aggravated as Thor does not respond to him. Thor wanted to explain that it wasn't his fault, that he couldn't hear a word that was being said but for some reason his mouth refused to cooperate with him.

The Spider child was kneeling down, in a similar position Thor had been in just moments earlier. Only, unlike Thor, the Spider child was contorting his arms in different ways, trying to reach for something on his back. Lady Pepper and Rhodes were holding onto him, trying to keep him from moving. Thor had a feeling he knew exactly what the child was reaching for as he could not see what became of the red stone… he wanted to help. 

However, the moment he took a step forward, a pain unlike any other radiated from his palm, shooting up his arm. Thor lost consciousness before his body even hit the ground.

* * *

His first course of action isn’t to confront his father or to speak with his brother. No, the first and most important task for him to do was go to Niflheim and find Hela. He… he did not want to see her, he barely wanted to think of her, not after all she's done, but he had no choice. She may not be as innocent as others, but she was still a victim of their fathers’ lies. He would never forgive her for all the pain and suffering she brought upon his people, just as he could never get himself to fully trust her. However, he still wished to see her and speak with her. She is still his sister… After all, she's gone through because of their family, how similar she is to Loki, the least he could do was offer his support should she need it. 

However, he needed time to plan.

At least, that had been his objective. Only, he did not travel as far back to the past as he first thought. He did not have years to prepare. He had mere seconds. 

He did not arrive on Asgard, no he was far from his home. Nor was he surrounded by memories of a family long lost. He was on the Statesman, surrounded by refugees and Asgardian survivors. This… this is not what he expected. He thought that if he was not in Valhalla then he was on his way to the past. How else can he explain seeing his memories before him playing out as one of Loki's drama's? Real and yet out of his reach. He had hoped… he hoped that out of everything that has happened, just this once fate would be on his side. Just this once, he would be able to do the impossible… That he could have a second chance, that he could protect everyone.

Between one second and the next, the ship's distress signal goes off.

Despite his confusion, he was not entirely sure this wasn't some kind of nightmare or hallucination— Thor lurches out of his seat without hesitation, striding over toward the large windows just as the enemy's, no. As Thanos's ship appears within their sight.

Loki hovers on his left, and on his right stands both Heimdall and Brunnhilde. Banner is somewhere amongst the group behind them. Thor can hear him muttering assurances to the people. A part of him is tempted to tell Banner to save his breath, not to bother telling false securities when over half of them would die by the end of this encounter. However, a part of him is also thankful. Thankful that despite not knowing what was about to happen, Banner still took it upon himself to calm the others. Something he should have been doing. He was their King, he should have worked to calm them while protecting them.

The radio transmission crackles to life as missiles head toward them, “This is the Asgardian refugee vessel Statesman. We are under assault, I repeat, we are under assault - The engines are dead, life support failing. Requesting aid from any vessel within range. We are 22 jump points out of Asgard. Our crew is made up of Asgardian families. We have very few soldiers here. This is not a warcraft. I repeat, this is not a warcraft ship!”

Something within his chest squeezes.

Thor can feel the way his electricity builds up, dancing across his skin. He tilts his head toward Heimdall “...Can you open the Bifrost to Midgard?”

“What are you planning?” Loki murmurs, “We do not yet know who fires at us.”

“It is as the transmission said. We are no warcraft. Our ship is filled with refugees and what remains of our home. A battle is not necessary when we can retreat.”

“Retreat?” Thor glanced at Loki, frowning at the disbelief aimed at him, “Since when do you retreat?”

“Since now. Heimdall?”

Not waiting to see if his orders would be followed— he knew they would be. Thor made his way over to the control center, barely managing to swerve the ship in time to avoid getting hit by the missiles. He knew they would curve and head back toward them but not right away. He wasn’t prepared, he needed all the extra time he could get, and his hands shook despite his determination. 

Regardless, Thor was here for a reason. 

If this truly was real… if he did travel through time… he needed to keep them safe. 

His hands clenched by his side, one palm stinging with what he realized was the phantom pain of grasping the Space stone, Thor nodded back to his old friend without fully turning to face him. Heimdall opened the Bifrost, and both Brunnhilde and Banner began urging people through as Loki made his way back by Thor’s side.

Meanwhile, Thor was trying his absolute best not to allow his memories to overtake him.

It would be so easy just to give in. To give in to the exhaustion, the fear, the feeling of absolute anguish as Thor’s brain betrayed him. Bringing his memories to the forefront of his mind, like a movie playing out in slow motion.

“—or. Thor, what are you planning?”

“Nothing, Brother,” Thor grimaced, shaking his head slightly as he pushed memories of the original timeline down, “I shall not risk the lives of these people any more than I have already.”

Using the infinity stone for his own benefit did not kill him. It did not tear his mind apart, nor did it scatter him across the nine realms as he feared it might. He did not know how the Space stone worked… he could only get it latched onto his desire to make things right, and gave him the chance to do so. He was only alive because Fate wants him alive. He couldn't understand why him, why not any of the others. They had the other stones which chose them… so where were they? Why was he alone? Regardless of his disbelief, this was not an opportunity he would let go to waste. Clutching the controls, Thor caused the ship to swerve once more, only managing to avoid two of the three missiles. People cried out behind him as one of the missiles took out one of the ship engines, but Thor didn’t dare glance back at them. Just as he moves away from the controls, side-stepping Loki, who seemed to be growing more and more aggravated by the second, Thor feels a burning sensation traveling up his arm. Startled, he glances down at his arm, eyes following the odd markings eerily resembling that of lightning that go from his inner elbow down to the wrist. Immediately, his eyes latched onto the oval shape the markings created in the palm of his hand. He could not see the stone, but he somehow knew it was still there, in his skin.

“Thor!”

He didn’t get the chance to see who had called out for him. 

“No!” Thor roared as the familiar sight of the Statesman faded from view, the odd space filled with swirling colors appearing in its place. The Spider Child looked startled to see him, Danvers looked fierce— and angry. Very angry, but Dr. Strange stared at him with a mix of pity and understanding. It infuriated him.

“I’m sorry,” Dr. Strange murmured, “I noticed that you were still too close to our present time. You need to be sent back further. I cannot control what time you will arrive at, but I can try and send everyone back further… only once more, and regardless of where or when you appear in the timeline, you must keep what you know hidden from others. I will not have the strength to do this again. We cannot risk making any mistakes.”

Dr. Strange placed a hand on each of their shoulders, startling Thor as a third appendage appeared from his back and clasped Danvers' shoulder as well, his grip tight. 

“When you next open your eyes, I do not know where you’ll be or what will happen next. Peter, since you are the youngest one here, you must find Thor and I once you’re able to. We cannot look for you first because we won’t be able to tell if it is the original version of you from your past or if it is this version of you with the Reality stone. Ms. Danvers, whenever you wake up, try and return to Earth. See if any of use are known to the public yet. If we are then it should be late enough in the timeline where we all remember.”

“H-How will I be able to tell if I’m talking to the right, uh, the right version of you guys?”

“I will have the Time Stone and the original version of the stone on my person. The original Time Stone will be locked within the Eye of Agamotto,” Dr. Strange gently touched his chest, “The Time stone from the battle remains within me, it would seem as though we cannot take them out…”

“Shall my arm stay this way?” Thor lifted his arm for the others to see the shape of the Space stone within his palm and the markings trailing up to the crook of his elbow.

"...Perhaps."

The Spider Child- Peter, cleared his throat, “O...Okay, what do we do now?”

“Now… Now you three shall go to wherever the stones take you. I shall wait here for the time being. The others have yet to arrive.”

“What others?” Thor frowns, “I did not see the other stones go to anyone…”

“Neither did I, but they had to have gone to someone. Whoever they went to, I shall meet them here and explain everything to them. Now, there isn’t much time- staying here for too long may interfere with your stones. You need to leave. Now.”

“Wa--”

A burst of light swallows him, blinding him. He feels rather than see’s the others ripped away from him, the weightlessness that accompanied the trip vanished rather quickly and Thor had no time to prepare himself as he fell. It was an odd sensation. To feel as though he were falling through an endless pit before finding himself laying on something quite soft and comfortable.

Warily, Thor opened his eyes.

He was in his bedchambers… the one on Asgard. The planet Asgard, not-not New Asgard in Norway…

He was home.


	2. Chapter 2

_ I assure you, brother, the sun will shine on us again. _

_ You should have gone for the head. _

_ We cannot risk making any mistakes. _

_ No Mistakes... _

Upon waking, after spending some time trying to remind himself to breathe-- he had to take a couple of minutes to himself, just lying there. Thor laid beneath the sheets, carefully taking a deep breath in and letting it out. It took him far longer than he should have taken to calm himself and sit up, had this been a fire situation… he doesn't want to think about what could happen. If he was being completely honest with himself, he hadn't been sure if any of what he had remembered actually happened. In fact, if it weren't for the markings clearly visible on his arm, he would have thought it all was some sort of horrible nightmare… a part of him wished it was.

If he could blame it all on some sort of dream he could pretend that the others never died.

He could pretend that he never lost his mother, his father, his hammer, the people of Asgard, his eye, and Asgard itself… he could pretend that Loki never died. He could fool himself into believing that all was right with the world, that the Mad Titan never stepped into his life and Hela was never freed. Only, this was real. All of this was truly happening.

He stumbled getting out of bed, wincing at even the slightest touch to his arm.

That's not good.

If he concentrated, then he could move it without any pain hindering him. Only, whenever something touched the skin surrounding the markings, it felt as though there were a million blades beneath his skin.

Dr. Strange said not to tell others of what happened… Thor knew he was not the best liar but He can get by easily enough. An injury that he couldn't explain would just over complicate things. He cannot go to the healers. The healers would report back to his parents, and before long others will learn of his injury and come bearing questions he cannot answer. He had common, basic medical knowledge. All the warriors on Asgard were taught it around the same time their training began.

Everyone needed to know what to do if they could not get to a healer immediately.

However, no healer taught him what to do with injuries caused by an infinity stone… he wasn't entirely sure what type of injury it was either. The markings were on the outside of his skin, originating where the Infinity Stone came into contact with him. It did not hurt until something touched his skin, however, he could tell that the pain was all internal. Perhaps he could hide it? A glamor, like the ones Loki would always cast! He may not have been taught how to wield magic the same way his brother was, but that didn't mean he was incapable of using it. He just… forgot that it was something he was capable of.

That being said, it still took him a handful of minutes to cast even the most simplistic of spells.

A glamor was a beginner's lesson taught to all children, though those lessons stopped shortly after his and Loki's lessons on it. For some reason that he never learned, the concept of learning how to wield one's seiðr on Asgard was pushed to the side in favor of training for most Asgardians. Loki had been the only one around their age group to continue his studies. Thor chose to focus on his strength training rather than his natural-born seiðr. It's why his glamor took so much energy from him and left him in want of a nap… his regular seiðr was weakened from lack of use. While the elemental seiðr that granted him the ability to be the God of Thunder continued to grow to the point of becoming overwhelming most days. Without Mjöllnir, without his 'training wheels' as Stark would say, Thor felt as though any resemblance of control was torn away from him.

At least now, with the marking hidden, he can move throughout the palace without fear of being discovered.

Carefully pushing himself off the bed, Thor moved throughout his chambers, hesitantly changing his clothes and stopping before one of the mirrors in his chambers. The mirror stood off to the side, a few feet from the lone window. It was large and wide, big enough to see all of him within it. He often used this mirror rather than the one in his bathroom whenever he needed to wear his Royal garments whenever the nobles visited the palace. Though it took him by surprise how badly the sight of his reflection sickened him.

He had to quickly turn away from his reflection in fear of the nauseousness building up within him.

He didn't know what to do next.

He was on Asgard and from the quick glimpse of himself in the mirror, he still looked young. Younger than when he first met up with the other Avengers. Which meant he had time until Ms. Danvers and young Peter would try to seek him out. He did not know if Dr. Strange had regained his memories just yet, but Thor had another issue to worry about.

How was he to blend in with this time when his memories were so jumbled?

At what point in time was he?

He still looked relatively young, and he had yet to change his attire. Had he already been banished to earth? Did he face the Destroyer? Was Loki… still here? Alive?

Thor spun on his heel, for all intents and purposes about to March out of the room and find out what was currently going on in the realms– but then he just so happened to catch yet another glimpse of his reflection and it-it  _ angered  _ him.

His fist came in contact with the glass of the mirror before he even realized he had moved.

Startled by the bout of violence, Thor stepped back, away from the shards of glass, and quickly looked away from the many-miniature reflections staring back at him.

His feet carried him from the room, slowly making his way into the bathroom and hesitating before the mirror above the sink. He avoided looking at his face, especially his eye- instead, his gaze latched onto his long, blond locks of hair. Had his hair always been so bright? The grimace on his face would not fade the longer he stared at himself, the slight curls, the small waves...

He... he needed to change this, and soon. It was a distraction. He couldn't afford to be distracted, not now. Not with so much on the line.

* * *

Almost done. He just needed to cut the sides down a bit more...

"What in the Nine are you doing?!"

Yelping, Thor hastily drops the shears, spinning on his heel to face the now open door to his bathroom and– It's Loki. It's his brother standing there, looking far more shocked than Thor could ever remember seeing him. It took every ounce of his willpower not to rush over there and hug him. No doubt, Loki would react poorly… but his baby brother was standing before him, breathing and unharmed.

"Thor!"

"W-What?" Thor stammered.

It was hard. It was so hard not to allow his memories to overcome him. 

He looked at his brother and all he could see was a snapped neck and semi bulging eyes staring back at him. His earlier nausea returned tenfold. He darted to the side, barely making it to the toilet on time as whatever he's previously eaten made a reappearance. He glanced out of the corner of his eye, unwilling to let his brother out of his sight just yet, watching as Loki reared back, a hand quickly coming up to pinch his nose shut.

"Are you ill?" Loki stepped out of the bathroom, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to leave completely, "at least Mother won't feel abandoned once she learns that you did not show up for breakfast because you were ill. You do remember that today was the day she wanted us to help her in the gardens, don't you?"

Their mother. 

She was- she would still be alive right now… the dark elves have not been to Asgard, not yet. His throat tightened.

"Nay…" Thor spat into the bowl once more before flushing and standing trembling legs, "Brother…"

Thor stopped himself from lifting his head. Unable to meet his brother's gaze. He settled for staring at Loki's boots.

"I-I am well," Thor cleared his throat, "I am not ill."

"Then what, dear brother, other than some sort of illness could have possessed you to cut all of your hair off!"

He… did not know what to say.

It wasn't as though when he entered the bathroom he planned on cutting his hair.

It's just- seeing his reflection and not recognizing himself… he couldn't stand it. Long hair was a warrior's pride, it was why so many of them grew it out in the first place. Not only was it practical to have long hair especially during a harsh winter, but warriors with long hair meant it was a time of peace. It was meant to represent how none of them needed to worry about their hair getting in their eyes during battle because none of them needed to worry about going into battle. Besides Loki, even while they were children his brother preferred to keep it relatively shorter than others on Asgard. Although, Loki's hair was still longer than the Berserkers when they fought. Thor always loved having long hair, even before he learned the purpose of it, ever since he began training, Thor avoided getting his haircut. Only allowing his mother to give him a small trim whenever her or father mentioned it growing too long…

He missed having his long hair, and yet seeing himself with it now, he couldn't help but feel as though he was undeserving.

He was not the Thor any of them knew. He couldn't just sit back and waste the years going on little adventures and drinking while attending feast after feast.

If he was being honest, after those five years on Midgard… Thor wasn't sure he trusted himself with any Mead.

He was no victorious warrior, he was not the arrogant man who believed he could take over the throne.

He wasn't the King Asgard needed.

He was just… Thor.

"I– wanted a haircut."

"You… you wanted a haircut." Loki repeated, dryly, "You know what? I don't need to know."

The pure fear he felt watching his brother turn and walk out of the room was absolutely overwhelming and unwanted. Thor slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the sounds escaping him but it was too late. Loki immediately turned and stalked back into the bathroom the moment that first sob burst past Thor's lips. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Thor finally looked up and met his brother's wide-shocked eyes, but nothing could stop the way tears leaked down his face. It was as though a dam had burst… and he had no way of stopping it.

Thor heard his brother moving around but with tears blurring his vision, he could not see what Loki was doing.

Then his brother's hands cupped both sides of his face and tilted his head up.

He could barely see but even then he could make out the confused scowl marring his brother's face. His brother seemed just as shocked as him when Loki knelt down in front of him and, after cupping the back of his neck, pulled Thor’s head forward to rest against his chest. Just below his chin. The speed at which Thor wrapped his arms around Loki, hugging him tightly, reminded him painfully of a mere babe seeking its mothers’ warm embrace. Despite the slight mortification he felt, Thor could not hold himself back any longer.

He wasn’t sure what happened next. He knows that he was full-on crying now with no regards holding him back- but time became lost to him. It wasn’t until some time later, with his legs numb and chest heaving, that Thor noticed Loki shifting, clearly uncomfortable.

His brother immediately pulled away once Thor quieted down, "Are you- are you finished?"

"Aye," Thor sniffed, "I-Sorry, for… crying on you."

"Don't mention it again.” Loki said stiffly, rising to his feet, “Now let's go, we're needed in the throne room, Father and Mother wish to speak with us."

His face flushing with embarrassment, Thor carefully pulled his feet under him and forced himself to stand. He was proud to note that he barely even stumbled, then Loki’s words registered with him, and Thor hesitated, "They want to speak with us? For… for not helping with the mothers' gardens?"

"No, you oaf," Loki rolled his eyes, "Mother and Father both have been waiting to speak with you ever since you collapsed."

Loki quickly strode from the room, neither pausing nor glancing back to see if Thor would follow. After a moment's pause, Thor did follow after him. Though his mind was elsewhere…

What did Loki mean he collapsed? When did that happen? He couldn’t recall ever collapsing out of anywhere… the only times that happened to him was if he had been injured during a battle and had not gone to see the healers quickly enough.

He had many misgivings, yet Thor continues to follow Loki throughout the palace, passing few guards and even fewer servants. He tries not to pay too much attention to his surroundings, still slightly overwhelmed by it all. 

His brother remains silent as well, occasionally glancing at him but keeping quiet as he leads Thor to what he recognizes as the second entrance to the main balcony overlooking the Bifröst. Even though he knew that they were heading to see Mother and Father… Thor still froze once his eyes landed on them standing at the Balcony’s edge, leaning against the fencing. They haven’t even turned to look at him and already he could feel the all too familiar sting as tears built up in his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> ...I just noticed how many Time travel stories I have written... I might have an obsession.


End file.
